Moleben to the Mother of God
Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 7PM 2 June 2021.
Moleben to the Mother of God
Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 7PM 2 June 2021.
First Sunday after Pentecost
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 30 May 2021.
Troparion, Tone 8
You came down from on high, O Merciful One, * and accepted three days of burial * to free us from our sufferings. * O Lord, our life and our resurrection, * glory be to You!
Troparion, Tone 4
Clothed as in purple and fine linen * with the blood of Your martyrs throughout the world, * Your Church cries out to You through them, O Christ God: * send down Your loving-kindness on Your people; * grant peace to Your community, * and to our souls great mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
O Lord, Master of nature, * the world offers You the godly martyrs as the first-fruits of nature. * By their supplications, through the Mother of God, * preserve Your Church and Your people in profound peace, * O most merciful One.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give praise to the Lord our God.
Verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 76:12,2)
Epistle : Hebrews 11:33–12:2
A reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews.
Brothers and Sisters, the saints who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Alleluia, Tone 4
Verse: The just cried out and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of their afflictions.
Verse: The afflictions of the just are many, and out of them all will the Lord deliver them. (Psalm 33:18,20)
Gospel : Matthew 10:32–33, 37–38; 19:27–30
The Lord said to his disciples, ‘Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’ Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’
Сommunion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; * praise befits the righteous. (Psalm 32:1) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Descent of the Holy Spirit
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 23 May 2021.
After the initial Amen, all kneel and sing:
Heavenly King, Advocate, Spirit of Truth, * who are everywhere present and fill all things, * Treasury of Blessings, Bestower of Life, * come, and dwell within us; * cleanse us of all that defiles us, * and O Good One, save our souls.
First Antiphon
Verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, * and the firmament declares the work of his hand.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Verse: Day to day pours forth the message * and night proclaims this knowledge to night.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Verse: Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, * and their words unto the ends of the world.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Third Antiphon
Verse: O Lord, by Your power the king shall rejoice * and greatly exult in Your salvation.
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise * by sending them the Holy Spirit; * through them You caught the entire world. * Loving Master, glory to You.
Verse: You gave him his heart’s desire * and did not deny the request of his lips.
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise * by sending them the Holy Spirit; * through them You caught the entire world. * Loving Master, glory to You.
Verse: For You have gone before him with gracious blessings, * you have placed upon his head a crown of precious stones.
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise * by sending them the Holy Spirit; * through them You caught the entire world. * Loving Master, glory to You.
Entrance Verse: Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength; * we will sing and make music to Your might.
Troparion, Tone 8: Blessed are You, O Christ our God who revealed the fishermen as most wise * by sending them the Holy Spirit; * through them You caught the entire world. * Loving Master, glory to You.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
When the Most High came down and confused the tongues, * He parted the nations. * When He divided the tongues of fire, * He called all to unity; * thus with one voice * we glorify the all-Holy Spirit.
Instead of ‘Holy God’ we sing:
All you who have been baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ! Alleluia!
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, * and their words unto the ends of the world.
Verse: The heavens tell the glory of God, * and the firmament declares the work of His hand. (Psalm 19:5,2)
Epistle : Acts 2:1–11
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: By the Lord’s words the heavens were established, and by the Breath of His mouth all their host.
Verse: The Lord has looked down from heaven and beheld the whole human race.
Gospel : John 7:37–52; 8:12
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is really the prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’ But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’ So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’ The police answered, ‘Never has anyone spoken like this!’ Then the Pharisees replied, ‘Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.’ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, ‘Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?’ They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing:
O my soul, magnify the one Divinity in three Persons.
Irmos: Rejoice, O Queen, boast of the virgins and mothers, for every tongue, though capable and eloquent, cannot hymn you as is your due, and every mind is confounded in seeking to comprehend the way in which you gave birth. Wherefore with one accord we glorify you.
Сommunion Hymn
Your good Spirit will lead me * to the land of righteousness. (Psalm 142:10) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Moleben to the Mother of God
Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 7PM 19 May 2021.
Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 16 May 2021.
First Antiphon
Verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; * shout to God with the voice of joy.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Verse: For the Lord most high is awesome, * a great king over all the earth.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Verse: He has subdued peoples to us, * and nations under our feet.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Verse: God ascended amid shouts of joy; * the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, * O Saviour, save, us.
Third (Ascension) Antiphon
Verse: Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, * let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Refrain: Son of God, who ascended in glory, * save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse: Let us come before His face with praise, * and acclaim Him in psalms.
Refrain: Son of God, who ascended in glory, * save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse: For God is the great Lord, * the great king over all the earth.
Refrain: Son of God, who ascended in glory, * save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance Verse: Come, let us worship * and fall down before Christ.
Refrain: Son of God, who ascended in glory, * save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparion, Tone 6
Angelic powers were upon Your tomb * and the guards became like dead men; * Mary stood before Your tomb * seeking Your most pure body. * You captured Hades without being overcome by it. * You met the Virgin and granted life. * O Lord, risen from the dead, * glory be to You!
Troparion, Tone 4
You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, * giving joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit, * and assuring them through your blessing * that You are the Son of God, * the Redeemer of the world.
Troparion, Tone 8
Christ our God, You are glorified above all, * You established our fathers as beacons on earth * and through them guided all of us to the true faith. * Glory to You, most compassionate Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 8
The apostles’ preaching and the Fathers’ doctrine * confirmed the Church’s one faith, * and wearing the garment of truth * woven from theology that descends from on high, * she rightly imparts * the mystery of godliness * and sings its glory.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 6
When you had fulfilled Your plan for us * and united things on earth with those in heaven, * You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, * in no way distant, but remaining in separable, * You cried to those who love You: * I am with You and there is none against you.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God.
Verse: Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 76:12,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 4
Verse:Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your Name forever.
Verse: For You are righteous in everything that You have done to us. (Daniel 3:26,27)
Epistle : Acts 20:16–18, 28–36
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them: ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia. Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’ When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: The God of gods, the Lord, spoke and summoned the earth from the rising of sun to its setting.
Verse: Gather to Him His devout ones, who with sacrifice make covenant with Him. (Psalm 49:1,5)
Gospel :John 17:1–13
At that time, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.’
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing:
O my soul, magnify the Lord who in glory ascended bodily into the heavens.
Irmos: O Mother of God, * you transcended both mind and word, * and in time, ineffably bore the Timeless One: * it is you who, with one accord, * we, the faithful, magnify.
Сommunion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; * praise befits the righteous. (Psalm 32:1) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of ‘We have seen the true light’, ‘Let our mouths be filled’ and ‘Blessed be the name’ we sing:
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, above all the earth be Your glory.
Sunday of the Man Born Blind
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 9 May 2021.
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Troparion, Tone 5
Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word, * co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, * and born of the Virgin for our salvation. * For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death * and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 5
The day of radiant feasting is here, * the city of Bari rejoices, and the world exults with hymns and spiritual songs. * For today is the sacred feast * of the transfer of the precious and healing relics of the bishop and wonder-worker Nicholas. * Like a never-setting sun * he shines with radiant beams of light * dispelling the gloom of temptations and grief * from those who cry with faith: * Save us, great Nicholas, for you intercede for us.
Kontakion, Tone 3
Commemorating the translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas
Like a star your relics have moved from east to west, * and the sea is hallowed by your passage; * holy bishop Nicholas, the city of Bari receives grace through you, * for you are revealed as one who works wonders: * illustrious, awesome, and merciful.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 4
Blinded in the eyes of my soul, * I come to You, O Christ, like the man who was blind from birth, * and I cry in repentance: * You are the brilliant light of those in darkness.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One, * yet You destroyed the power of Hades; * and You rose as victor, O Christ God, * calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice! * and giving peace to Your Apostles: * You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God.
Verse: Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 76:12,2)
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Verse: The venerable ones will exult in glory * and they shall be joyful in their beds.
Epistle : Acts 16:16–34
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, as we, Paul and Luke, were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptised without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Look upon me and have mercy.
Verse: Direct my steps according to Your word. (Psalm 118:131-132)
Verse: Your priests shall clothe themselves with justice, and Your venerable ones shall rejoice.
Verse: For the Lord has chosen Sion; He has chosen it for His dwelling. (Psalm 131:9,13)
Gospel : John 9:1–38; Luke 6:17–23
At that time, as Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’ So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Сommunion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; * taste the fountain of immortality. * Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance; * of evil hearsay he shall have no fear. (Psalm 111:6) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal; * we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Moleben to the Mother of God
Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 7PM 5 May 2021.
Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 2 May 2021.
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Troparion, Tone 4
When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel * the glorious news of the resurrection * and cast off the ancestral condemnation, * they proudly told the apostles: * ‘Death has been plundered! * Christ our God is risen, * granting to the world great mercy.’
Troparion, Tone 8
At the mid-point of the Feast, O Saviour, * water my thirsty soul with streams of true godliness; * for You cried out to all: Let any who thirst, come to Me and drink. * O Source of Life, Christ our God, glory to You!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Drawn to the well by faith, * the Samaritan woman beheld You, the Water of Wisdom, * and drinking abundantly of You, * she inherited the heavenly Kingdom for ever, * becoming everlastingly glorious
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
At the mid-point of the Feast according to the Law, * Maker of all things and Master, * You said to those present, O Christ God: * Come, and draw the water of immortality. * And so we fall before You crying out with faith: Grant us Your mercies, for You are the source of our life.
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
Verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)
Epistle : Acts 11:19–26, 29–30
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Poise yourself and advance in triumph and reign in the cause of truth, and meekness, and justice.
Verse: You have loved justice and hated iniquity. (Psalm 44:5,8)
Gospel : John 4:5–42
At that time, Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’ Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labor.’ Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: Virginity is alien to mothers and childbearing is foreign to virgins; yet in you, O Mother of God, both of them came together. Therefore we and all the nations of the earth without ceasing magnify you.
Сommunion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; * taste the fountain of immortality. * Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1)* Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal; * we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Sunday of the Paralytic
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 25 April 2021.
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Troparion, Tone 3
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice, * for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm. * He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead; * He saved us from the abyss of Hades * and granted great mercy to the world.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3
Lord, as of old You raised the Paralytic, * lift my soul by Your divine presence, * for by many sins and foolish actions, * I, too, am now afflicted and crippled. * Raise me, that being saved I may cry to You: * Glory to Your power, O merciful Christ.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One, * yet You destroyed the power of Hades; * and You rose as victor, O Christ God, * calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice! * and giving peace to Your Apostles: * You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 6
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in You.
Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O you just; praise befits the righteous. (Psalm 32:22,1)
Epistle : Acts 9:32–42
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralysed. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!’ And immediately he got up. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Of Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your truth from generation to generation.
Verse: For You have said, "Mercy will be established forever." (Psalm 32:22,1)
Gospel : John 5:1-15
At that time, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.”’ They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Сommunion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; taste the fountain of immortality. * Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, * and their word unto the ends of the world. (Psalm 18:5) * Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal; * we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 18 April 2021.
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Troparion, Tone 2
When You went down to death, O Life Immortal, * You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity. * When You raised the dead from the nether world, * all the powers of heaven cried out: * ‘O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!’
Troparion, Tone 2
The noble Joseph took down Your most pure body from the tree. * He wrapped it with a clean shroud and aromatic spices * and placed it in a new tomb. * But on the third day You arose, O Lord, * granting the world Your great mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 2
You commanded the myrrh-bearers to rejoice, O Christ God, * and ended the grief of our mother Eve by Your Resurrection. * You ordered the apostles to proclaim to all: * ‘The Saviour is risen from the tomb.’
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One, * yet You destroyed the power of Hades; * and You rose as victor, O Christ God, * calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice! * and giving peace to Your Apostles: * You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.
Prokeimenon, Tone 6
Save Your people, O Lord,* and bless Your inheritance.
Verse: Unto You I will cry, O Lord, my God, lest You turn from me in silence. (Psalm 27:9,1)
Epistle : Acts 6:1–7
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: You have shown favour to Your land, O Lord; You brought back the captives of Jacob.
Verse: Mercy and truth have met; righteousness and peace have embraced. (Psalm 84:2,11)
Gospel : Mark 15:43–16:8
At that time, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Сommunion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; * taste the fountain of immortality. * Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * Alleluia, alleluia, * alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal; * we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Thomas Sunday
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 11 April 2021.
After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.
Paschal Troparion
Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Troparion, Tone 7
While the tomb was sealed, O Christ God, You dawned as life from the sepulchre, and while the doors were shut, You came to Your disciples, the Resurrection of all, renewing a right spirit in us through them, according to Your great mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
With his searching hand, Thomas explored Your life-giving side, O Christ God. For when You entered while the doors were shut, he called out to You with the rest of the Apostles: You are my Lord and my God!
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Great is our Lord and great is His strength;* and of His knowledge there is no end.
Verse: Praise the Lord, for a psalm is good; may praise be sweet to our God. (Psalm 146:5,1)
Epistle : Acts 5:12–20
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:
In those days, many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.’
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God our Saviour.
Verse: For God is the great Lord and the great king over all the earth. (Psalm 94:1,3)
Gospel : John 20:19–31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Сommunion Hymn
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem.* Praise your God, O Sion (Psalm 147:1) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal; * we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Christ is Risen!
Bearing torches let us meet the bridegroom, Christ, As He comes forth from His tomb, And let us greet, with joyful song, the saving Pascha of God.
—Ode 5, Paschal Canon
Beloved in Christ!
Today the heart is jubilant, the soul rejoices, feet rush to church, arms stretch out to the Lord, resounding song comes from our mouths, for this day is truly the feast of feasts and solemnity of solemnities: ‘Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs bestowing life!’ As smoke which is blown away by the wind, and as wax which disappears in fire (see. Ps 67:2-3), so today all our anguish, worries, doubts, and fears dissipate and lose their power over us: ‘This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (Ps 117:24).
Let us meet... Christ, as He comes forth from His tomb...
We go to encounter the One, who emerges from the grave, having undergone horrific torture, suffering, and death. In rising, Christ passes from death to life. He emerges from the confines of a limited and narrow tomb, with the entrance closed by a stone and signed with a seal. Christ passes by the guard, placed there at Pilate’s command. The glorified body of the Saviour cannot be held, neither by time, nor by the space of earthly human existence, as we pray in the Anaphora of the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great: ‘He loosed the pangs of death, rising on the third day and making a way for all flesh to the resurrection of the dead—for it was not possible for the Prince of life to be mastered by corruption.’
Christ opened a new Pascha of God, for not Moses, but the God-Man leads humankind—not from Egyptian captivity, but from death to life, and from earth to the heavens. The paschal matins service depicts this paschal movement, this exodus of the New Covenant as that of a Bridegroom emerging from the wedding chamber. This image is familiar to us! Already, during Passion Week, the Church prepared us for the coming of Christ the Bridegroom: ‘O faithful, let us be on fire with love for the Bridegroom, and with lamps burning, let us go out to meet Him. May the light of our virtues shine brightly, and may our faith be radiant. With the wise virgins, let us prepare to enter the banquet hall of the Lord; for the divine Spouse offers us the crown of immortality.’ (Great Tuesday, Matins, Lenten Sessional Hymns). And lo, the grave is transformed into a chamber, with Christ’s Resurrection funeral services are transformed into the joy of encountering the Bridegroom, who dispels sorrow, fulfils the time of expectation, and invites us to the paschal feast of the Heavenly Kingdom. With Christ’s Resurrection, we become partakers of eternal life—not observers, but real participants in the life of God’s children.
Bearing torches let us meet the Bridegroom!
This past year we have lived as if in a tomb ‘behind the locked doors’ of quarantine restrictions that periodically intensified. Our churches and monasteries in some parts of the world were truly inaccessible to worshipping faithful, out of concern for the safety and health of both clergy and religious, as well as the laity. However, today Paschal Matins help us accept these restrictions as a form of expectation—of the exodus and of the risen Bridegroom-Christ, whose arrival is awaited vigilantly in the night by the wedding guests (see Mt 25:1-13). And here we sense that this time is approaching. The Bridegroom draws near, announcing to us that the exodus has begun. The light of hope shines through, that with God’s help we will be able to emerge from this global ‘incarceration,’ to return from the virtual world to the expanse of our churches and communities, in order to pray together ‘with one heart and one voice’ in God’s assembly. But for this to happen, is it especially important that the torch of the Resurrection—the light of faith, hope, and love—not be extinguished.
In going out to meet the risen Christ this paschal night we carry our torches of faith! Even in circumstances of strict quarantine we’ve learned to practice our faith, to differentiate between its substance and its forms of expression. We may have had to change our practices and customs, but we did not weaken our relationship of faith with our Lord God, a faith that filled our life with light through prayer and daily reflection on the Word of God, through participation in the Divine Liturgy in a different way, through a heartfelt desire to receive the Body and Blood of our Saviour. The torch of faith in us did not go out.
We carry today the torches of our hope! Drawing strength from our faith, we have fostered expectations that we will overcome and survive these complex times. Christian hope gave us strength to continue living, to adapt to a culture of preserving a healthy life in these new circumstances. We shone our torches of faith and hope in the resurrection even as we mourned our dead. When the world became disoriented and lost its bearings, the torch of Christian hope helped us find an exit-exodus, move towards an encounter with the Bridegroom, who today joyfully and victoriously emerges from the tomb!
We are encountering the risen Christ, carrying our torches of love in action—of God and neighbour. As the wise virgins of the Gospel parable (see Mt 25:1-13), this pandemic night of waiting for the coming of the Bridegroom filled our lamps with works of mercy and service to our neighbour. We understood that we will find our way out of these complex circumstances of life only if we create authentic and vibrant Christian communities, built on mutual assistance and sacrificial service to one another. The torch of love for neighbour in us did not die out, and on this paschal night it allows us to go out to meet the risen Christ!
And let us greet, with joyful song, the saving Pascha of God.
We joyfully praise Christ, who emerges from the tomb, as a spring bird, who, with the thaw, begins to sing louder and more cheerfully, and does not cease, even when it senses that the branch on which it is perched is swaying—for it knows that it has wings of faith, hope, and love! Let us gaze upon the body of Christ, covered in wounds from brutal scourging, without breath or life. A body crucified and buried, it would seem, irrevocably and forever. And yet, the Spirit of God revives this broken human body, which in the brightness of Divine glory comes out to meet us and lay a path for us to eternity. This is the salvation of which we sing today: “O Son of God, who are the giver of life to the whole world, for this the whole world glorifies You.”
Therefore, if we are under the impression that humanity has become like a body tortured unto death by the pandemic—and our people suffer this evil in the midst of the horrors of war, which continue now for the eighth year—let us gaze towards the Bridegroom, who emerges from the tomb fully alive and surrounded by light, and let us not doubt even for a moment, that a light-filled resurrection also awaits us, that we too are true partakers of the Resurrection which we celebrate today by the power and action of the Holy Spirit!
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! On this bright, joyful day I greet all of you with the Pascha of our Lord. Especially in this Year of St. Joseph the Betrothed I greet all our husbands-fathers. My wish for you is that you be a light of faith, hope, and love for your families, models and icons of God’s love, fidelity, courage, creativity, industriousness, patience, openness—for your beloved spouses and children. Christ is the only icon of God the Father, but children, as they grow up, develop an image of Him on the basis of their family experience and the example of their dad.
I greet those who in this pandemic feel lonely and abandoned. Remember: when you pray, the risen Lord is always with you, and by the power of Christian prayer you are united with the entire community of His Church. You are not alone!
I greet all the sick and frail, as well as medical professionals and your family and friends, who care for you. On this feast of victory over death I ask you: cherish the gift of life, and embrace bodily suffering as sacrifice in prayer, for this is “a spiritual fragrance” pleasing to the Lord.
To our soldiers and to those who remain in occupied territories and in Crimea, I send you my sincere paschal greeting and assure you of my prayers, that the risen Lord strengthen you and keep you alive and healthy.
I embrace with a fatherly love all the clergy, religious, and faithful in Ukraine and throughout the world, and sincerely wish you all a blessed Easter feast, a tasty sharing of our traditional blessed egg, and a Paschal joy that is full of light.
The grace of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Christ is risen!—Truly, He is risen!
✙ SVIATOSLAV
Given in Kyiv at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ,
on the day of our Venerable Father and Confessor Theophanes of Sigriana,
Our Holy Father Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome,
and Blessed Priest-Martyr Omelian Kovch
March 25 (12), AD 2021
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Matins, Divine Liturgy, and Blessing of Paschal Food
Matins, followed by Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 8AM 4 April 2021.
At the commencement of the Divine Liturgy, after the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it:
Paschal Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
First Antiphon
Verse: Shout to the Lord, all the earth, * sing now to His name, give glory to His praise.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: Say unto God, “How awesome are Your works! * Because of the greatness of Your strength Your enemies will flatter You.”
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: Let all the earth worship You and sing to You, * let it sing to Your name, O Most High!
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Third Antiphon
Verse: Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee from before His face.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Verse: As smoke vanishes, let them vanish, as wax melts before the fire.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Verse: So let sinners perish before the face of God, but let the righteous be glad.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Entrance verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the fountains of Israel.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, * trampling death by death, * and to those in the tombs * giving life.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One, * yet You destroyed the power of Hades; * and You rose as victor, O Christ God, * calling to the myrrhbearing women: Rejoice! * and giving peace to Your Apostles: * You, who grant resurrection to the fallen.
Instead of “Holy God” we sing: All you who have been baptised into Christ, you have put on Christ! Alleluia!
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
This is the day which the Lord has made; * let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 117:24,1)
Epistle : Acts 1:1–8
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This,’ he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: When you rise, You will have compassion on Sion. (Psalm 101:14)
Verse: The Lord looked down from heaven to earth to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free the sons of those put to death. (Psalm 101:20)
Gospel : John 1:1–17
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Сommunion Hymn
Receive the Body of Christ; * taste the fountain of immortality. * Alleluia, alleluia, * alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of “Blessed is He” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (1x).
Instead of “We have seen the true light” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (1x).
Instead of “Let our mouths be filled” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
At the end of the Liturgy we sing: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
And to us he has granted life eternal;* we bow down before his resurrection on the third day.
Jerusalem Matins
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 2 April 2021.
Vespers with layout out of the Holy Shroud
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
11AM, 2 April 2021.
Passion Gospels
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 1 April 2021.
Vespers with Liturgy
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
9AM, 1 April 2021.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 31 March 2021.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 30 March 2021.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 29 March 2021.
Palm Sunday
Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 28 March 2021.
First Antiphon
Verse: I am filled with love * for the Lord will hear the voice of my plea.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: For He has inclined His ear to me, * and I will call to Him all the days of my life.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: The pangs of death encircled me, * the trials of Hades befell me.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: I met with anguish and pain, * and called upon the name of the Lord.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Third Antiphon
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, * for His mercy endures forever.
Troparion, Tone 1: Assuring us before Your Passion of the general resurrection, * You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God: * and so, like the children we also carry signs of victory * and cry to You, the conqueror of death: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes * in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Therefore, let the house of Israel say that He is good, * for His mercy endures forever
Troparion, Tone 1: Assuring us before Your Passion of the general resurrection, * You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God: * and so, like the children we also carry signs of victory * and cry to You, the conqueror of death: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes * in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Therefore, let the house of Aaron say that He is good, * for His mercy endures forever.
Troparion, Tone 1: Assuring us before Your Passion of the general resurrection, * You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God: * and so, like the children we also carry signs of victory * and cry to You, the conqueror of death: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes * in the name of the Lord.
Verse: Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good, * for His mercy endures forever.
Troparion, Tone 1: Assuring us before Your Passion of the general resurrection, * You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God: * and so, like the children we also carry signs of victory * and cry to You, the conqueror of death: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes * in the name of the Lord.
Entrance verse: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, we bless you from the house of the Lord, * the Lord is God and has appeared to us.
Troparion, Tone 1: Assuring us before Your Passion of the general resurrection, * You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God: * and so, like the children we also carry signs of victory * and cry to You, the conqueror of death: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes * in the name of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Troparion, Tone 4
Buried with You through Baptism, O Christ our God, * we have been granted immortal life by Your resurrection, * and we sing Your praises, crying out: * Hosanna in the highest! * Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 6
Mounted on the throne in heaven, O Christ God, * and on a colt here on earth, * You accepted the praise of the angels, * and the hymn of the children who cried to You: * Blessed are You who have come to call Adam back.
Prokeimenon, Tone 1
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; * God the Lord has appeared to us.
Verse: Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 117:26-27)
Epistle : Philippians 4:4–9
A reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Philippians:
Brothers and Sisters, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has worked wonders.
Verse: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Psalm 97:1)
Gospel : John 12:1–18
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’ When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!’ His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him.
Instead of ‘It is truly...’ we sing: O my soul, magnify Christ who is seated on a foal.
Irmos, Tone 4: The Lord is God and has appeared to us: together let us celebrate. Come with great rejoicing; let us magnify Christ with palms and olive branches, and with songs let us cry aloud to Him: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, our Saviour.
Сommunion Hymn
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;* God the Lord has appeared to us. (Psalm 117:26-27) * Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Divine Liturgy with Sorokousty
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria.
9AM, Saturday 27 March.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 26 March 2021.
Feast of the Annunciation
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 25 March 2021.
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
From Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker parish, Victoria BC.
6PM, 24 March 2021.